Film Review
By the mid-1940s, Universal Pictures regarded their Gothic horror films
as money for old rope and instead of developing the series with
original storylines made with the flair of its earlier horror
offerings the studio was content merely to recycle material in the hope of making
a fast buck. This explains why the later films in the series feel
like reheated leftovers, palatable enough but far less satisfying than
what had gone before. Having brought together two of their most
successful horror creations in
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
(1943), Universal immediately followed this up with another of their
so-called monster rallies, this time with Dracula thrown in to the
mix. And "thrown in" is
precisely the right turn of phrase.
House of Frankenstein is
virtually an exact rerun of
Frankenstein
Meets the Wolf Man. In fact, the basic plot (which involves some
misguided individual trying to reanimate the monster for his own ends)
had been used in the previous three or four
Frankenstein films. The only
significant departure here from Universal's previous multi-monster
offering was the insertion of a twenty minute warm-up sequence in which
Dracula is resurrected and then despatched with unseemly haste.
No sooner has the vampiric fiend been brought back from the dead, he is
once more seen to kick the bucket. One bite and you're out - hardly the most inspired use of
Bram Stoker's creation.
After this brief and rather pointless vampire detour, the film replays
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
with almost slavish precision. True, there are a few minor
alterations. Victor Hugo's
Hunchback
of Notre-Dame is reincarnated as a lovelorn freak who gets the
hump when his gypsy sweetheart passes him over because she prefers
lycanthropes. The ensuing love triangle offers a few
moments of real poignancy, but these are soon sacrificed in the
interests of cheap horror thrills.
The film's production values are impressive for what is really just a
cheap B-movie money spinner, although there is obviously far less
commitment than on Universal's previous Gothic horrors. The
sub-mediocre script is salvaged by the enjoyable performances from a
respectable cast who, to the film's credit, tacitly avoid sending up
what is a rather silly storyline. Boris Karloff is superlative as
the creepy Dr Niemann, appropriately trying to resurrect the monster
which he himself animated in Universal's original
Frankenstein
(1931).
Lon Chaney Jr. returns as the character for which he is best known, the
Wolf Man, although by this stage his character's relentless self-pitying is so
grating that you just wish that someone would put him out of his
misery, preferably with a silver-tipped bazooka shell fired at
point-blank range. John Carradine is barely on screen long
enough for us to appreciate his version of Dracula, although he
obviously lacks the presence of Lugosi and must rank as one of cinema's
most anaemic vampires. J. Carrol Naish wins the award for the
most sympathetic performance, as the hunchback with a heart.
Making his debut as the Frankenstein monster is Glenn Strange, although
he doesn't do much other than the usual robotic rant, mainly because he
doesn't come to life until five minutes before the film ends.
You can't help wondering what brief the screenwriters were given for this film.
It must have been something like: make sure you include Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein
Monster, but keep them well separated and give them as little to do as possible...
House of Frankenstein may be
one of the weaker entries in Universal's horror series, but this
doesn't prevent it from being fun. Even when the screenwriters were
happy merely to regurgitate old ideas and reinforce the famous
clichés, there is still some magic to be found in that eerie
black-and-white Gothic fantasy world that Universal created for
us. The plots may be as well-worn as the floor coverings at
Hampton Court Palace, the later films may have been made for the most
cynical of motives, but who can fail to take delight in the sight of
the old horror icons as they emerge from their shadowy cobwebbed lairs
to chill and thrill us?
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Not everyone approves of Dr Gustav Niemann's hobby of transplanting
human brains into the bodies of domestic animals, which is why he is
currently safely locked away in a prison for the criminally
insane. A devotee of the work of Dr Frankenstein, Niemann can
hardly wait to resume his experiments. Fate gives him a helping
hand in the form of a lightning bolt which demolishes his prison.
Accompanied by a friendly hunchback named Daniel, Niemann makes good
his escape and heads for Visaria, where he hopes to take a cruel
revenge on those who had him put away. On the way, he runs into
Lampini's travelling horror show, whose exhibits include the skeleton
of Dracula. Having disposed of Lampini, Niemann revives the
vampire by removing the stake from its heart and sends it after Herr
Hussmann, the man who had him imprisoned. When Dracula gets up to
his old tricks, abducting Hussmann's attractive daughter-in-law and ruining
her honeymoon, Niemann ends their alliance and makes for Visaria.
Here, whilst exploring the ruins of Frankenstein's castle, the mad
scientist discovers an ice cave which contains the perfectly preserved
bodies of Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man, a.k.a. Larry
Talbot. The latter is none to pleased to be awoken from his
long sleep, since every time there is a full moon he is transformed
into a ravaging murderous beast. Niemann promises Talbot that he
will cure him of his affliction by transplanting his brain into another
body. Niemann has made the same promise to Daniel, who believes
that a new body will improve his chances with gypsy girl
Ilonka. Naturally, Niemann has no intention of keeping
either promise. His first priority is to reanimate Frankenstein's
monster and put into it the brain of one of his old enemies.
Unfortunately, the night which he chooses for this demonic endeavour
happens to be one in which the moon is full...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.